Birdwatching
by Storymaster Caith
Summary: When the Spiritual Master known as Genkai finally died, she left a curious stipulation in her will. Sequel to Rest In Pieces, multi-chapter.
1. The Will

** _A/N: Is it...can it be... yes, yes it is- sequel to Rest In Pieces! –fanfare- told you I'd do it eventually. Main pairing's gonna be heterosexual this time.. yes, stand in awe of me writing het. I'm still gonna throw up a slash warning, though, caus' Kurama and Kuwabara might see some action. As always, all irritating bashers/flamers/reviewers with terrible grammar and sentence structure please exit stage right. As for the rest of you, I hope this story winds up being worth the wait._**

**Part 1: The Will**

_When the Spiritual Master known as Genkai finally died, one rainy day in May, she left a curious stipulation in her will. _

_To__ the fox demon called Kurama she entrusted her gardens, with hopes that he would keep them as beautiful as he had while she had been living. He had gracefully agreed. _

_To __Jaganshi Hiei, feared Warden of Mukuro, she left a certain tree, about five hundred paces from her back step, for "reasons you already know, you twit." And Hiei had grunted and nodded and tried not to look sad, failing miserably. _

_To __genetic Mazoku Yusuke she left her video games, "in hopes that the blockhead will eventually learn how to play tetris without swearing his head off and ruining other peoples' concentration." And Yusuke was too drunk to say very much, but he didn't need to say anything at all. _

_To__ psychic Kazuma Kuwabara, Genkai bequeathed her vast collection of books, spells, and ancient tomes, "so you can be better than I ever was." And the redhead had only nodded and leaned tighter into Kurama, his blue eyes looking very much like rain. _

_To __the ice apparition named Yukina, Genkai left her temple, which she desired to be a waystation- a safe house between the demon plane and the human world. The ice maiden was to live there as caretaker and matron, for as long as she would have the position. But for this gift there was a single stipulation. _

_That Toguro Aniki take up residence as Temple Guardian._

**oOo**

"That I WHAT?!"

"That's what it says, Ani." Koenma said, tapping the paragraph in question. "Yukina's position at the temple is only safe so long as you are living there, as guardian."

"What on earth do I need to guard?" the demon asked. "the crazy old bitch has wards for her wards!"

"I think," Kurama said calmly, "that she wants you to guard Yukina."

Ani blinked at Kurama. Silence hung heavy in the room.

"Let me get this straight." Ani said slowly. "Yukina is allowed to live in the temple only so long as I hang around and guard her from things like bats and moths and D class demons?"

"Pretty much." Koenma said.

"And I suppose saying no fucking way will incite rage the likes of which I have never seen?" the demon commented. Yusuke's murderous look was more than enough of an answer, although Hiei's fingertips brushing his sword hilt was a nice touch.

"Toguro-san?" the small man turned his head. Yukina watched him quietly through carmine eyes, small hands folded against the black of her mourning kimono. "I do not mind this rule." She said quietly. "I would not mind having you here."

They looked at one another then, ice apparition to rokurokubi; and when Aniki opened his mouth to express just how ridiculous the whole thing was, he found he couldn't speak at all. He could only think, with a sort of distance, that Yukina did not belong in the color black.

Two hours later, the small group departed the temple hidden away in the mountains; Koenma back to spirit world, Yusuke and Hiei to demon world, Kurama and Kuwabara to their shared apartment...and Ani to pack.

He swore all the way down the stairs.

_**A/N: Yes. You read that right. Ani Toguro and Yukina living in the same space. If you can't figure out the pairing there, then please, have your brain checked. Note: You'll see that Ani is called a 'rokurokubi'. This is an actual type of Japanese demon that I have long twisted to suit Ani's character, as it is the only one that even remotely fits. He is called Metamorph over in Rest In Pieces because I'm too lazy to change it. Further note: anyone wishing to complain about the pairing please PM me, don't clog up my review page. The rest of you? Truussttt me. -insert evil grin here- **_


	2. Yours and Mine

**Part 2: Yours and Mine**

Aniki Toguro had always been a solitary sort of person.

He liked being alone, even when surrounded by people. It wasn't a difficult sort of thing to understand; come together to beat the hell out of whatever demon thought they had a chance at taking Kuwabara's hometown then go home, take a shower, water his plants and go to sleep. It was a simple sort of life.

Ice maidens were not solitary.

This came wholeheartedly as a surprise to Ani. After all, ice maidens, come on. They had a city floating on a glacier, for the sake of the underworld. They didn't LIKE people.

Then again, Yukina wasn't just any ice maiden.

It started with the laundry. He'd wake up in his room (all the way on the other side of the temple thankyouverymuch) to find his laundry gone from its hamper. Aniki Toguro had been washing his own laundry since before washing machines were widely distributed.

His clothes, which had apparently grown minds of their own, would then manage to find their way onto the line that Genkai had had strung in her back yard, freshly washed and flapping merrily in the breeze, those few bloodstains that simply wouldn't come out fading in the sun.

This was disturbing.

What was even more disturbing was the tea.

Which was ALWAYS being brewed. No matter what time of night or day he came in. No matter what he looked like- no matter what bodily fluids he'd managed to get splashed all over him- there was always the same set of calm red eyes and the same small hands offering a cup of steaming tea.

"You look tired, Toguro-san."

"Would you sit on the porch with me, Toguro-san?"

"Kuwabara dropped by, Toguro-san."

Ani was beginning to hate his name.

What part of "We aren't friends" did this girl not UNDERSTAND? The last time they'd had anything that even remotely resembled an interaction he'd killed her little birdies. Had she just..forgotten that?

No. No one, human or demon or spirit, forgot something like that. No matter how many times Kuwabara informed him that Yukina was 'just like that' Ani couldn't shake the thought that one day he'd turn around and there would be an icicle shoved in his chest.

He just wanted to be left alone, really, that was all. He'd stay at the temple- he owed Kuwabara that much, and really it didn't much matter whether he was here or there, because being a demonic mercenary tended to make one's bank account look like an overly satisfied tomcat and it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

But still, there had to be boundaries, he told her. I don't mind you but I need _space. _I'm just that kind of homicidal demon.

Yukina nodded, gave her tiny half-smile...and then continued to do things like offer him tea and wash his laundry and- god FORBID- ask how his day was.

He was going to go insane, he just knew it. Well, more insane than he already _was. _

**oOo **

It was a late night when he stumbled back up the steps. A routine fight; some B classes who'd heard Genkai had passed, thought maybe her temple would make for a good raid. When they met up with him they thought it was hilarious, that they'd give the living Toguro brother a whirl while they made their names stealing from dead people.

_Goddamn assholes_, he thought wryly as he perched on the uppermost step and glanced down at his gory hands. _Made it too easy on them_...

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he hadn't moved from where he had fallen asleep, still leaning against the wooden post of the porch. A thick comforter was wrapped around him, and on a tray next to his readily cramping leg was a note and a cup of barely-warm tea.

_Toguro san, _

_I didn't want you to get cold. Kuwabara-kun says that you often fall asleep after fights, and that I shouldn't try to move you. I hope the tea is still warm when you wake up. If it isn't, then I can make some fresh._

_What's mine is yours. _

_Thank you. _

Aniki blinked down at the piece of paper, then picked up his tea.

"This is ridiculous." He said to no one in particular, sighed, and drank.

_**A/N: Oh Ani. You're licked. You just don't know it yet. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far! **_


End file.
